Trump Says Venezuelan Airspace Closed Off

President Donald Trump warned airlines and pilots Saturday to stay away from Venezuelan skies.

“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

The declaration follows weeks of military buildup in Latin American waters. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, now patrols the region alongside F-35 fighter jets, spy aircraft and warships.

Since September, the Department of Defense has struck vessels suspected of carrying narcotics toward U.S. shores under “Operation Southern Spear.” Those strikes have killed more than 80 people. (RELATED: Drug Hotspot On Venezuela’s Coast Reeling From Trump’s Strikes)

Trump told troops Thursday that ground operations will follow.

“You probably noticed that people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” he said. “The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon. We warn them: Stop sending poison to our country.”

The administration accuses Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of running the Cartel de los Soles. U.S. officials recently labeled the organization a foreign terrorist group and called Maduro an “illegitimate leader.”

The FAA has urged pilots to “exercise caution” near Venezuelan airspace, citing a “worsening security situation and heightened military activity.”